Many private schools in Ghaziabad did not follow the district magistrate’s (DM) orders to restrict the school timings between 9am and 1pm on Monday.

Some schools said they were unable to communicate the orders to students on Sunday and have declared a holiday on Tuesday.(Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

Many private schools in Ghaziabad did not follow the district magistrate’s (DM) orders to restrict the school timings between 9am and 1pm on Monday. However, many schools did declare a leave for students up to class 2.

The Ghaziabad DM had ordered private schools to declare a leave for students of nursery and upper kindergarten classes and government schools to close for students up to class 2. The DM had also ordered the schools to hold classes between 9am and 1pm.

Private schools in the city, however, continued with their normal timings on Monday. DPS Indirapuram and Amity International School in Ghaziabad declared a leave for students up to class 2 but started classes for other students at 7.30am.

“We do not need to change timings or give an off to students now as the weather has cleared,” Sangeeta Hajela, vice-president of DPS Indirapuram, said.

“We held classes according to normal timings for students, though we declared a holiday for students up to class 2,” Sunila Athley, principal of Amity International School, Vausndhara Sector 6, said.

Seth Anandram Jaipuriya School in Vasundhara did not declare a leave for students.

“We could not inform students about the DM’s order on Sunday evening. However, we have declared a holiday for students up to class 5 on Tuesday and Wednesday,” Indu Kohli, vice-principal of Seth Anandram Jaipuriya School, Vasundhara, said.

Parents complained that the schools are not concerned about their children’s health.

“The weather might have cleared but the district magistrate’s orders should have been followed by the schools. Many parents have even written a complaint to the DM about the violation of the order by the schools,” Shivani Jain, president of all school parents’ association, Ghaziabad, said.

The district magistrate said that action will be taken against schools that violated the order.

“I have ordered the basic shiksha adhikari (education officer) to look into the matter and initiate action against those who violated the order,” Nidhi Kesarwani, district magistrate of Ghaziabad, said.

Meanwhile, in Noida, schools were found to be complying with the district magistrate’s orders. Private schools changed timing and declared leave for students up to class 2.